Poets Forming Themselves: Final Round Entries

With All Saffie's Excitement bet many of you forgot this contest was still going. Well, here it is, final entires. Judges will be banging away at their Selectric Typewriters with self correcting tape (we use the modern technology in formed poetry). Good luck to you three!

1 Untitled (Line Messaging)

I contemplated taking chances
on fingerprinting the petals
of adventure onto my skin
as the breeze wrapped around
my waist and stood at a standstill -
murmuring the idea of
counting mistakes as blessings.

As I carefully rolled up
each leg of my frayed
blue jeans just above the knee,
I materialized each
of my faults as
a stepping stone towards Him.

Without glancing back,
I fearlessly crossed to the other side
and realized life could smell like
sunshine with a hint of
baptized river water
and the unknown
could be an unanswered prayer.

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2 The Journey (Terza Rima Sonnet)

There comes a time in life when a heart must fly
higher than a mountain peak in winters chill
far beyond a wheat filled meadow's pure green sigh.

Our souls are devoured with sorrowful still
a calm in the darkness of my lover's grief
our journey entertains with glamourous thrill.

Tear shadows break upon a mornings relief
we muster strength to share a secret untold
slithering out like serpents, from fallen leaf.

A single whisper falls upon ears of old
gambling a fated risk, melodies break
elders will bow from our departing scold.

A journey desired, blessing to partake
two lovers disguised as lost souls of heartache.

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3 Like Leaves In Oaks (Rondeau)

Like leaves in oaks, I'll learn to fall
from branches short or from too tall.
I'll see the streets with other eyes,
as winds swirl me to other skies,
when autumn comes with rain or squalls.

I'll learn to maul, detach, and haul
the auburn joy that is too fall.
For others sake, I will not rise
------------ Like leaves in oaks.

I'll fall in sidewalks all in all
To be stepped, picked by few, by all
as people hear the pines's long cries
as autumn comes with dark, grey skies
At last, I'll decompose and all
----------- Like leaves in oaks.

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Line Messaging [Challenging]: poetry form created by Angel Favazza ... wherein the poet utilizes the last line of each stanza to help represent an overall idea. So if the last line of each stanza is read together (separately from the poem) it will have an independent message or be a poem all on its own.

Terza Rima Sonnet [Hard]: Terza Rima is a poem with an eleven syllable count in each line and a rhyming scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, dd; the more challenging Terza Rima Sonnet has an eleven syllable count in each line and a rhyming scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, ded, ee.

Rondeau [Hard]: French form, 15 lines long, consisting of three stanzas: a quintet, a quatrain, and a sestet with a rhyme scheme as follows: aabba aabR aabbaR. Lines 9 and 15 are short - a refrain (R) consisting of a phrase taken from line one. The other lines are longer (but all of the same metrical length).

The third entry is my favourite! Well-done, everyone.

I really liked number 2. Good luck all

Good luck everyone!

I like mr. Larry's introduction.

Especially the typo in "final entires" and the word "selectric." I learnt a new word.

Two judges in so far!

Luce, they certainly were not final partials, after all, they were each and every entire. ;8-)

The third judge has the flu but is committed to having responses by Friday!

The third judge must be the one I put a curse on

just kidding

Hahhahaha michael

Just to say I love when poets form themselves instead of letting the form forming them